Paradisoterrestre Mantilla Armchair in Blue by Kazuhide Takahama

Estimated Production Time9-10 weeks

About

It suits to the silence and quiet elegance of the morning light while in the evening it’s right for very large or smaller rooms. So mutable and perfect to change its cloth in a flash, it can be dressed up for a dinner and easily undressed if it gets dirty, every day in a new guise. The Mantilla's name comes from the mantle which covers it, thus distinguishing its look. The idea comes from the memory of taking care of the furniture of holiday mansions by covering them with fabrics during the long winter months. Each piece has its cloth which is perfectly contoured on the structure and hooked by means of suitable pressure buttons, so that it’s easily replaceable. The sofa can be equipped with more than one cloth, thus renewing the look of a room depending on the season in an instant, but even for particular events or used without cloth, left to its original aspect, too, only covered with Trevira fabric.
Kazuhide Takahama was born in 1930 in Kyushu on a Japanese Island. He graduated in architecture in 1953 from the Tokyo Institute of Technology. When he was 27 years old, he became lecturer at the same University and he got his first job as a designer. He was in charge of setting up of the Japanese booth on the occasion of the XI Triennale in Milan in 1957 where he met Dino Gavina. This first meeting had marked a turning point in his career and the beginning of a fruitful collaboration and deep friendship. Before going back to Japan, Kazuhide Takahama had designed for Gavina the sofa Naeko (Takahama’s first design produced in series and then marketed). During his stay in Japan, he was a Professor at the University and curator of architectural and design projects, but he kept in touch with Gavina, who finally convinced him to move to Italy. In 1963, he arrived in Italy with his wife Naeko, had their first daughter Kaori and then settled in Bologna. He has many collaborations with Italian design companies such as Gavina, Simon, Paradiso Terrestre, B&B, Sirrah (then incorporated by Guzzini). His professional activity is not limited to furniture accessories and lighting design. He designed outdoor and indoor works and followed renovation of private residences and public works. Among them we mention the front and the VIP lounge of Guglielmo Marconi Airport and the bus stop canopies in Bologna.